USC coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday he had “no knowledge” of former assistant coach Willie Mack Garza's dealings with controversial talent scout Will Lyles. But Kiffin still might have to answer to the NCAA.

Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that Garza sent Lyles $1,500 to fund the airfare for an unofficial recruiting visit to Tennessee by prospect Lache Seastrunk. Kiffin was Tennessee's coach at the time.

Kiffin acknowledged having read the story, adding: “All I can say on that, the alleged incident, I had no knowledge of (it), or knowledge of a relationship at all (between Garza and Lyles). I have been and always have been committed, wherever we've been, to doing things the right way, cooperating with the NCAA. So that's all I've got on it.”

Asked whether it was common for assistant coaches to engage in that sort of activity without the head coach or recruiting coordinator's knowledge, Kiffin said: “I don't know. I don't know what people do.”

It's highly unlikely that this violation, if proved true, would affect USC in any way. It remains to be seen whether it could affect Kiffin, who was spared punishment by the NCAA earlier this year for alleged violations committed at Tennessee.

CBSSports.com is reporting that Willie Mack Garza, who resigned as USC's secondary coach today, had a prior relationship with Will Lyles and that Garza's connection to the suspicious scout might have led to his departure:

Lyles interviewed with NCAA investigators for several hours with his lawyers present on Tuesday. During the interview, Lyles revealed that he had a "relationship" with Garza prior to (Garza's) becoming an assistant at Tennessee, according to sources. USC officials were notified on Wednesday of the connection and moved swiftly to work out Garza's departure.

SportsbyBrooks also reported that Garza resigned because of his ties to Lyles, whose scouting service is at the heart of the NCAA's investigation of Oregon.

USC has been hypersensitive about NCAA compliance since last year, when the school was put on probation.